It’s “Slim Pickings January” as we fall deeper into winter’s grip. Few folks ventured out last week due to high or icy water. It looks like trout anglers will have fair shots on Saturday and Thursday, which sandwich in another real cold spell. Aim your trips for the afternoons on lower elevation, wider streams that will catch more midday sunshine.
Stripers also decided to hibernate due to the cold, unstable weather. Hopefully they’ll resurface once the weather stabilizes.
The dead of winter is a good time for indoor activities like fly tying, banquets, and online interviews. Check out the Events section of the full fishing report for the latest news. And if you’ve ever wanted to tour and fish the Okeefenokee, be sure to dial in next Tuesday at 7PM for UO’s live Instagram session with swamp fishing guide Bert Deener. All the details are in our report, right here:
http://blog.angler.management/
(Link in bio)
Good luck this week. Aim for the warmest part of the day on the warmest days for your best shots at some winter trout and stripers. Stop in either UO shop for some warmth and assistance.
Helen: 706-878-3083. Open 8-5 daily.
Clarkesville: 706-754-0203. Open 8-5 from Monday thru Saturday.
Unicoi Outfitters: Friendly. Local. Experts.
Wes’ Hot Fly List:
(Last week’s list of still good)
Dries: parachute blue wing olive, parachute Adams, griffiths gnat, little black stone (or #18 gray elk hair caddis, and a small tan chubby or elk hair caddis as the lead fly (a strike indicator for your tiny dry dropper)
Nymphs & Wets:
DH Stockers: twister egg, pheasant tail or Frenchie, sexy Walts worm, rainbow warrior, zebra midge, root beer midge, Duracell, micro girdle bug.
Mountain streams: zebra midge, soft hackles, prince nymph, frenchie.
Streamers:
Black and olive woolly buggers, jig leech, barely legal, UV polar Jig.
Reservoir Bass & Stripers:
clouser minnow, low fat minnow, Cowen’s somethin else.
Headwaters:
They’re clear and flowing well, just under their historic averages for this time of year. The best news is that the bottom gravels are all polished up and loose. Saturday’s 5 inches of rain flooded them and flushed out the fine sediments. That oughta bode well for wild rainbow spawning, which happens from now til mid-March on GA headwater streams.
Streams are cold and fishing will likely be slow. Dukes at Smithgall was a meager 42F at 2PM today. Get your bugs rolling along the bottom to entice a few afternoon fish to snack.
Here’s the latest Smokies report from our friends, Ian and Charity, in Townsend:
Delayed Harvest:
Saturdays floods should have spread out the November and December stockers. Flows are better, too, but temps are low. Aim for flood refuges and roll those eggs and nymphs along the bottom. Smith DH was murky and 46F at 2PM today. The discolored lake water should help your catch rates. One spin angler today said he caught fish on a spinner and a trout magnet, so try some brighter bugs in the stained water.
Stockers:
Stockers are slim. Your best bets are the two tailwaters for summer/fall holdovers and just outside the DH stream boundaries to find the wash-downs after last Saturday’s floods.
Private Waters:
We had very few trips due to a) floods and b) frigid weather. Fishing should improve a bit, now that flows are good and there are a few tolerable afternoons in the forecast. Just get your bugs rolling along the bottom in slower pools and pockets. Try ditching the tapered leader and substitute a long piece of 6lb mono for your leader to slice through the water column and get your flies down.
One dedicated soul braved yesterday’s freezing cold. UO buddy CDB hit Nacoochee Bend yesterday morning and said: “Well, it was about 20 degrees and breezy when I got up this morning. So I did what any sensible person with a free day would do. I went fishing at Nacoochee Bend. It was 21 degrees and the “feel like” temperature was 9 degrees -perfect!
I thought I would go small and deep. A small bronze walt worm with a red bead and a little zebra midge. As we know, patience is a virtue, so I ran at least 6 or 7 drifts through the pool before I cut it off and put on… that’s right… the bronze Zonker jig streamer.
On the second drift, I had a take. My fingers may have been numb, but I continued to pick up fish all morning as long as I was just barely off the bottom. Brown Zonker with red 3mm tungsten bead was the best. Black worked well also. I did have one fish take the size 18 root beer midge (thanks Wes).
Do your hands a favor and get yourself some sort of a release tool like the Ketchum. The barbless hooks that don’t fall out in the net, pop right out with the tool and you can keep your fingers dry.
As the water temp continues to drop this month, I suspect things will slow down. But if you can stand the cold and you bump them on the head with the fly, there are still fish out there to be picked up. With that said, I am kind of thinking Florida might look attractive this time of year.
PS: Check out the latest edition of The Drake magazine. My article is on page 56.”
Tailwaters:
No recent reports.
Warm Bass Rivers:
No news, other than they aren’t very warm and those fish probably aren’t very hungry.
Ponds:
No news.
Lakes:
UO guide Joseph: “Fishing on Lanier over the last week started off good, but dropped off with cold fronts blowing through. Most fish we’re seeing are now in creeks ranging from 25-35 feet deep. We’re seeing some stripers eating on the surface, however now’s the time to really be utilizing sonar. Most fish we’ve caught have been on a somethin else on both intermediate and sinking lines. Other flies like Game changers, small clousers and various other minnow patterns will also work so long that the fly is 2.5 inches long or less.
Although January can be tricky with cold fronts, it is usually one of the best months on the pond. I still have some availability for trips towards the latter half of the month. To book or inquire call UO Helen at (706)878-3083 or visit www.josephclarkflyfishing.com
Editor’s note:
Catch Joseph in Athens on Monday night. That TU chapter is a welcoming bunch.
Events:
Wes’ “Unicoi Undercurrents” continues each Tuesday night. Next up is “Swamper” Bert Deener, who will guide you through Okeefenokee Swamp fishing opportunities. Set your phone alarms for Tuesdays at 645PM to tune in by 7.
https://www.instagram.com/p/DTfpjnjAH6Y/?igsh=MXJvZmp5dTRxd2V5YQ==
Athens Jay stayed warm by detouring to a fly tying night in Athens. His Oconee River TU Chapter buddied up with the UGA Five Rivers Club to learn and produce some hot winter nymphs.
Reminder: the Rabun Rendezvous is on the horizon. That annual bluegrass and BBQ banquet is on February 7th at the Rabun County Civic Center in downtown Clayton. Save a few bucks by purchasing your banquet tickets online now.
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1AQJ4M1rph/?mibextid=wwXIfr
That’s the latest, thin January angling news for your dead-of-winter pursuits. Hey, at least we got some much-needed rain. Let’s hope those fronts keep passing on through and recharging our streams. How about just an inch or two at a time? That would sure be nice. Bundle up (per Wes)
https://www.facebook.com/share/v/19essbFRo2/?mibextid=wwXIfr
and go cure your cabin fever. Stop in either UO store on your way to or from those frigid streamflows to thaw out. Good luck!
Unicoi Outfitters: Friendly. Local. Experts.
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